Fargo Meetup Recap: Good Enough For Ricochet Work

They say it takes four people to make a meetup, and we managed to get that for the big meetup dinner. However, this meetup was a wild ride from the start. As I recovered from a 12-hour drive from Chicagoland to Fargo, I awoke at the Red Roof Inn (right next to the Fargo Moorhead visitor center, complete with woodchipper) on Independence Day, then met up with @KatieKoppelman at Bonanzaville, a living history park. It was next to the fairgrounds, and a good place to visit while waiting for the fair to open.

The Red River Valley Fair was quite an experience. We were joined by a relative of Katie's and @PainterJean, and convened the Order of the Neon Yardstick. They showed me plenty of hot chicks (and ducklings) in the exhibition buildings. Like any good festival, you could get anything and everything deep-fried. Deep-fried Oreos are something to experience... rarely. The literal highlight of the evening was an absolutely epic fireworks display. This was one of the greatest fireworks displays I have ever seen, probably surpassing the Chicago fireworks at Navy Pier. There were numerous moments when we all thought it was the grand finale, only for it to continue.

The next day began with breakfast at Kroll's Diner, a cross between a 50s roadside diner and fine German cuisine. Katie, Jean, and I enjoyed breakfast there - every time I go there, I get the same thing, and it is reliably good.

Sadly, Jean had to leave at this point, and team Rhody (@HankRhody & Old Man Rhody) was still recovering from their own epic trip. However, I was going to visit the missile site regardless. First, however, the OP-mobile needed gas, and where better to get gas (along with drinks, snacks, and two baseball caps) at RJ's. Sadly, Dave was not there that day, @jameslileks.

The trek out to the missile silo and command center was about an hour, but the tour did not disappoint. It's an impressive feat of engineering, building an underground facility designed to survive the end of the world.

After getting back to Fargo, it was time for the actual meetup dinner. Team Rhody made their appearance at the Space Aliens, where excellent BBQ, onions, pizza, and BBQ onion pizza were aplenty. The place has a large video game hall, with more sci-fi decor than your average convention. A good time was had by all!

Now, the other activities were less crowded. The Hjemkomst is a reproduction Viking ship that actually sailed to Norway, built in Minnesota by a high school teacher and sailed by his family back in the 70s. It's parked in Moorhead, in excellent condition, surrounded by an interpretive center. Behind the center is a replica Norwegian stave church, which is one of the most impressive bits of woodworking I've ever seen. It's definitely worth seeing. Naturally, such Viking pursuits may leave you craving mead. The Prairie Rose Meadery is there for you. Every kind of mead you could want, with tastings. I now have a few bottles of this mead on my shelf.

Here's hoping for a bigger crowd for the next round. Maybe a meetup for the Fargo Air Show?